Tomorrow’s Spies Will Drop F-BOMBs

F**k. It’s a word that commands attention. These F-BOMB computers, however, are designed to do just the opposite — quietly and inconspicuously gather sensitive information from within secure areas. And if the F-Bomb is discovered or destroyed, f**k it! It only cost $US50 to build in the first place.

The F-BOMB — Falling or Ballistically-launched Object that Makes Backdoors — is the brainchild of security researcher Brendan O’Connor. It measures just 8.89 x 10.16 x 2.54cm and is constructed from an off-the-shelf PogoPlug mini-computer, 8GB of flash memory, and some antennae housed in a 3D-printed case. Altogether, it totals $US46 in parts. This makes the F-BOMB essentially disposable — and easily deployable. It can be dropped from drones, thrown over walls, plugged into wall sockets, or hidden in CO detectors.

It can be equipped with a variety of sensors, both legitimate and illicit — everything from barometric sensors to network sniffers. The F-BOMB runs off Linux and is Wi-Fi enabled. It currently only runs for a few hours using AA batteries but O’Connor is working to improve its power supply.

“If some target is surrounded by bad men with guns, you don’t want to have to retrieve this, but you also don’t want to have to pay four or five hundred dollars for every use,” says O’Connor. “The idea is that it’s as close to free as possible. So you can throw a bunch of these sensors at a target and get away with losing a couple nodes in the process.” [Forbes]